Gateway 2000 Inc, North Sioux City, South Dakota yesterday put a price on its large-screen home computer-television combination, saying that the Destination will cost between $3,500 and $4,700 depending on processor and how much memory and disk the user wants. The company first talked about the Destination in February (CI No 2,854). The machine has a whopping 31 monitor and is designed for use in family living rooms as a principle home entertainment device. Customers in the US can begin placing orders for the system by telephone from April 8. Gateway holds or is applying for more than 20 patents on the Destination, which it developed in partnership with several companies over the last two years. As well as television, intended applications include surfing the Internet, using interactive home shopping services and play video games. The company also reckons that companies might like one – at least in the boardroom – since it is also suited to making corporate presentations; at school, it could be used for interactive instruction. In the UK, it could also be used to show schools and Open University programming to a whole class, since it is designed so watchers can spread some 10 to 15 feet away.
